- April 1, 2024
How to Make A New Hire Feel Welcome?
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How to welcome a new employee is a big deal. After all, you’ve spent time, effort, and money finding a great person to join your team and help solve some of the problems that you’re wrestling with. You want them to be excited to get off to a great start and be happy working in the team so they stay and do the best work they can.
The first impressions stay with you for a long time. Make sure new joiners into your team look back with fond memories and remain excited about wanting to work in your business long after they join.
So, I’m taking you through these 10 tips today about how to make a new hire feel welcome. I explain how to make each of these tips actionable and effective in providing a great experience for your new team member.
So, let’s dive in………
10 Proven Tips About How to Welcome A New Employee
Tip one when planning how to welcome a new employee
Send Them Pre-Reads
When a person has gone through the trouble of applying, getting through the recruitment process, and getting an offer from you, they should be excited about joining and starting a new chapter in their career.
Your new team member is likely to have to work a notice period, anywhere from one month to three months. However, notice periods can be a lot longer. A great way to keep up this excitement and to help them have a better start is to send them information about what is happening in the team and the company. So they can learn and feel part of the team before actually joining your company.
Here are some examples of the types of information you might share:
Company News: Keep them informed about recent developments, such as product launches and notable customer acquisitions.
Team Updates: Share details about ongoing projects, completed milestones, and upcoming initiatives to give them a sense of the team’s dynamics and priorities.
Organizational Insights: Provide organizational charts or team bios to help familiarize them with their future colleagues and the structure of the company.
Job-specific Information: Offer resources tailored to their role to help them hit the ground running and understand their responsibilities.
Team events: socials and any other opportunities for the new joiner to meet the team before starting officially. Keeping up contact also reduces the risk of counteroffers being successful and starts to build positive professional relationships early on.
NOTE: Don’t just send over the boring official documentation such as the employee’s manual or generic training or induction material. Make it personal to them, your team, and their new job.
Tip two when planning how to welcome a new employee
Introduce Them Within The Company
There is nothing worse than joining a company, and most people have no idea who you are and what you are here to do! This really does not make you feel welcome at all. You want your new team members to feel welcome from day one with the current team.
Knowing who they are and what they have joined to do. Even better is to provide a bit of information about your new joiner to your current team so they have some talking points to get the conversations going.
So send one or a couple of emails out to your team and all the stakeholders likely to come into contact with your new team member. Or if you work in a medium or small company send it to all your staff to introduce the new employee.
Some of the things you could share as,
Communicate Their Role: Clearly outline the position they will be filling within the organization, emphasizing key responsibilities and objectives.
Highlight Key Tasks: Share insights into the specific tasks and projects they will be undertaking, giving colleagues a glimpse into their contributions.
Detail Deliverables or Projects: Provide context about ongoing projects or deliverables they will be involved in, promoting alignment and collaboration from the outset.
Share Their Background: Mention their previous company or relevant professional experiences, giving colleagues a broader understanding of their journey.
Any Memorable Stories: Share interesting stories about their hobbies, interests, or achievements from their CV. It’ll help team members remember them and start talking to them when they join.
NOTE: Do ask the new employee if you are okay to share information before you do so. Even better is to get their help in drafting what you actually share.
Tip three when planning how to welcome a new employee
Get All The IT Set Up
Getting all the IT organized and working before your new employee starts is about presenting an organized, welcoming company that demonstrates they care. You want your new team member to avoid chasing around to get things sorted on the first day.
So, as a minimum, make sure the following,
Email Address Setup: Ensure their email address is created and fully functional, allowing them immediate access to communication channels.
Computer Configuration: Set up their computer, including both hardware and necessary software installations, to facilitate their workflow.
Phone Setup: If provided with desk or mobile phones, ensure they are configured and operational to enable effective communication.
System Access: Grant appropriate access to relevant systems at the required permission levels, ensuring they have the necessary tools to fulfill their role.
Additional Tools: Provide any additional tools or resources essential for their job role, ensuring they have every must-have office desk item to hit the ground running.
Workspace Preparation: Ensure their desk is set up, clean, and organized, fostering a welcoming environment. Consider adding welcoming presents to enhance their first-day experience.
Tip four when planning how to welcome a new employee
Ask Them to start Late
On their first day, you’ll ask them to start at 9:30 am instead of 9 am. Give yourself and everyone else on the team a chance to get in and get settled. When your new employee arrives, your team will be ready to greet them properly without being distracted, and starting a little later also takes the pressure off your new joiner.
It gives them a more relaxed start to their new job. The days and weeks ahead are going to be busy and tiring enough for the new employees. So, give them an easier start.
A later start also gives you a chance to remind the team that the new member is starting that day and gives you a chance to send out one last reminder email to the rest of the company and check everything is ready.
Tip five when planning how to welcome a new employee
Greet Them In Person
Book out the starting time in your diary so you are available to greet them in person. Don’t let others book you into meetings or call you away. Your relationship as a manager with your new employee is very important. You want this professional relationship to start on the right foot.
Being there to greet them in person demonstrates that they are important and that you care and will put in the effort to support them. It will also be good if their immediate team members are also available and at their desks so you’re able to introduce them in person as soon as they arrive.
Give them a chance to settle in and have a chat with the other team members before kicking off the induction plans.
Tip six when planning how to welcome a new employee
Take Them Through The Induction Plan
Focus the induction plan on helping them get to know and start building relationships with colleagues and team members as quickly as possible. Building these relationships is a lot more important than reading through the HR employee handbook or other official documentation. That background reading could be done later or as part of their homework.
In the weeks leading up to your new team members starting, you should have been creating their induction plan detailing,
- What activities are going to happen?
- When are they going to happen?
- With whom are they to happen?
Again, focus on helping them build relationships and work out who to speak to about what area. Get them to meet as many relevant people throughout the business as possible.
Book these meetings into the new employee’s calendar and also who they’re meeting, and make sure they happen. Talk your new joiner through the plan, explain why you have included what you have, and answer any questions they have. Listen to any suggestions or requests that your new joiner makes. Their input can be really valuable, too.
Tip seven when planning how to welcome a new employee
Book Time In To Train Them
No matter how experienced the new employee is, they will need some training on the systems you use and how to use them. You will need to show them your company’s way of doing things, the rules and expectations, the meeting rhythms, and so on.
If you have training materials, such as videos or other reference documents, make sure they have access to these, which will give them clear instructions and make them self-sufficient as quickly as possible.
Show them where to find all the information they need and how it is organized now. This could be a great time to introduce them to a buddy so they have another person to help them settle into the company as quickly as possible.
A buddy should ideally be a peer who sets expectations too early. This ensures that the new joiner knows exactly what’s needed and how they can meet those expectations. The training by you or other team members gives them the tools to meet the expectations set out.
Tip eight when planning how to welcome a new employee
Organize Lunch And Coffees
Organize your current team members to work individually or in pairs and take your new employee to lunch on the first day and over the first week or two. The aim is to help build good working relationships between your current team and the new joiner.
It is also a very nice touch to have team members look after you over those first few weeks when you are trying to get your bearings, get to know people, and learn how everything works.
You, as their manager, should also book lunch or two with your new employee. The lunches don’t have to be anything extravagant. Building relationships and looking after your new employee are the key aims.
Arrange for other stakeholders outside your team to invite your new team member for coffee over the first few weeks. The coffee meetings could be part of a formal induction program or as part of a much more informal approach.
Having an informal setting such as lunch or coffee gets the personal side of relationship building, which is just as important as a professional side.
For me, meetings in workplace settings such as meeting rooms are not as good for early relationship building.
Tip nine when planning how to welcome a new employee
Plan A Mini Project
The purpose of planning a mini project is to give your new employees a project to keep them busy from the word go. Ideally, it would be a mini project that,
- Firstly, the new team member can own
- Secondly, that gets them into contact with a wide range of people
- Thirdly, it asks a new employee to review the situation and challenge the status quo.
New employees are perfectly positioned to look at the processes, ways of doing things, and rules currently in place with an unbiased eye. They can use their natural questioning and open-mindedness at this stage to bring immediate benefits to the company and be prepared to implement any sensible changes suggested through these many projects.
I mean, what better way to create a sense of achievement for them, show the company’s openness, and get great value from the process?
Tip ten when planning how to welcome a new employee
Book In A Team Social Night
Social meetings with team members are great places to build positive and
long-lasting relationships. The more personalized settings allow team members to let their hair down more and get to know each other quickly.
Building the personal side of relationships helps with the professional side of the relationship. Think of all the reasons behind all the team-building exercises and off-site activities. Many companies run these to build relationships between team members, which in turn increases trust and teamwork.
Consider stopping work early on a Wednesday or Thursday and taking the team to the local coffee shop or taking them out temping bowling, crazy billiards, or something fun. Make it as easy for everyone to attend as possible and enjoy it.
How To Make A New Team Member Feel Welcome?
There are different scenarios where this applies. It could be someone new to your group or even new to your project. So here are a few quick reminders and tips for your new member.
- Send a welcome. It could be a card, a letter, a package, or even an email just to say, “Hey, we look forward to working with you.”
- Welcome them on their start date, and be excited when they show up. Say something like, “We’ve been looking forward to meeting you.”
- Introduce them and mention something specific about them and the value they bring, maybe something like “Hey, this is our new software developer or this is our new rocket scientist.” This way, people will know who they are and what they’re bringing to the table.
- Plan to have lunch or coffee. Some people say well, how do we do this if it’s virtual. You could schedule a call and let people visually see. Maybe have a video call these days and have people on the team be there so they can see one another and just introduce themselves.
- Meet with them to review their roles, responsibilities, and expectations. Hopefully, you’ve covered them before they start, but it’s good to sit down and have them go over what they’re expected to do.
- Cover the handbook that includes who we are, what we do, and what we stand for so they know more about either your group or your project.
- Provide any training they may need. There may be something on the policies or something regarding the project. Give them support; make sure they understand.
- Give them a plan. Everybody needs a plan that makes them feel secure and confident about what they’re supposed to do. Then, continue to follow up. Just ask them, “Hey, how’s it going?“
Final Thoughts
So, these are the 10 tips about how to welcome a new employee.
Making a new employee feel comfortable in their new workspace is one of the challenges for HR managers. Remember, you were once the new person, too, so put yourself in their shoes and offer support and guidance as needed.
A little extra attention goes a long way in making someone feel welcome and appreciated. So, there you have it—with these tips in mind, you’ll be well-equipped to welcome any new employee with open arms and set them up for success in their new role.
Some FAQs About How To Welcome A New Employee
Welcoming a new employee sets the tone for their experience within the company. It fosters a sense of belonging, making them feel valued and appreciated from day one.
This initial positive impression can significantly impact their morale, productivity, and retention. Moreover, a warm welcome helps integrate them into the team culture, facilitating smoother collaboration and communication.
Keeping new employees motivated involves a combination of factors:
- Provide clear expectations and goals, ensuring they understand their role within the organization.
- Offer opportunities for growth and development, such as training programs or mentorship.
- Recognize and reward their achievements to reinforce positive behavior.
Creating a supportive and inclusive work environment also plays a crucial role in maintaining motivation.
While motivation is essential, it’s crucial to strike a balance to prevent overconfidence. Encourage a growth mindset that values learning from mistakes and seeking continuous improvement. Offer constructive feedback to keep them grounded and focused on their development.
By fostering a culture of humility and accountability, you can mitigate the risks associated with overconfidence while maintaining high motivation levels.
Welcome messages serve as an initial point of contact, signaling the company’s enthusiasm for the new employee’s arrival. They convey warmth, appreciation, and a sense of inclusion, which are vital for building rapport and trust.
Additionally, welcome messages provide essential information about the onboarding process, setting expectations and alleviating any initial anxieties the new employee may have.
Overall, they contribute to a positive onboarding experience and lay the foundation for long-term engagement and success.